The Legal 500

Within Antitrust, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has long provided ‘high-level advice’ in this area, and it remains ‘outstanding in terms of its knowledge, speed and expertise’. Its recent portfolio of highly complex matters includes landmark cases such as representing Thyssen Krupp in appealing against the European Commission (EC) fine in the elevator cartel case; Mars regarding the cartel proceedings of the Federal Cartel Office (FCO) against several producers of branded goods; and E.ON in an EC investigation into an alleged market sharing arrangement. Martin Klusmann provides ‘outstanding counsel in every sense’, Uta Itzen has ‘in-depth knowledge’ and is ‘always available’, and Gerhard Wiedemann’s expertise is ‘worth every penny’.

Within Bank lending, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is ‘one of the best for financing transactions in Germany and the UK’ and clients appreciate its global reach, as well as its specialist expertise in real estate lending and restructuring matters. The team advised Liberty Global Europe on the structuring and financing of the acquisition of Kabel Baden-Württemberg via the €2.25bn issuance of high-yield bonds, and Hochtief on finance issues pertaining to the takeover offer by Spain’s Grupo ACS. Yorck Jetter has ‘great legal knowledge and deal-management skills’. Frank Laudenklos is recommended.

Within Project finance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

PPP finance specialist Daniel Reichert-Facilides heads Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s practice, which pools finance lawyers with the firm’s public and public procurement law experts. It focuses on high-end matters, often with a cross-border element, and recently advised HSH Nordbank on financing solar energy projects in Spain. It also acted for a bidder consortium led by Hochtief PPP Solutions and Hermann Kirchner Projektgesellschaft on the extension, operation and €299m financing of an approximately 58km section of the A8 II motorway PPP project in Bavaria.

Within Capital markets , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘extremely strong’ practice was involved in a number of the year’s most significant IPOs, including advising Norma Group and its majority shareholder 3i on its €386m IPO. It also advised Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citigroup Global Markets and UniCredit on TUI’s placement of convertible bonds. On the debt side, it advised Credit Suisse, Citi, Goldman Sachs and UBS on structuring and implementation of Commerzbank’s capital increase. DCM head Christoph Gleske is an ‘amazing lawyer’ who ‘knows his stuff’, and Rick van Aerssen and ECM head Andreas König are also highly recommended.

Within Large deals, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Top dog’ for years, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has maintained a strong and integrated practice across several offices even during recent market turmoil, and it fields some ‘extremely well-known individuals’ with a ‘good skill set’. The team advised Liberty Global on its €3.2bn acquisition of Kabel Baden-Württemberg; Daimler on its collaboration with Rolls-Royce Group on the joint takeover offer for Tognum; and Hochtief regarding Grupo ACS’ takeover offer as well as on Hochtief’s capital increase and related investment by Qatar Holding. Christoph von Bülow heads this high-quality team.

Within Mid-sized deals Leading individuals

Within Dispute resolution , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

‘Clearly one of the leading practices’, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer maintains its strong position in litigation and arbitration, and is adept at handling complex, cross-border matters. It recently defended a German industrial enterprise against customer damages damage claims totalling €2bn, conducted an internal investigation for a renewable energy group, and defended several international banks against damages claim relating to derivatives products. Automotive industry expert Rolf Trittmann has ‘excellent procedural know-how’ and is ‘a creative thinker’, and Christian Duve is ‘excellent in questioning the other side’s witnesses’. Lars Westpfahl heads the practice, in which the younger partners are increasingly recommended.

Within Employment , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer excels at international transactions and complex cross-border mergers. Recent instructions include advising E.ON on individual labour law and co-determination issues; Sparkasse Bremen on restructuring its pension scheme; and Pinault Printemps Redoute on Puma’s SE transformation. Elmar Schnitker ‘understands business requirements and then applies legal technicalities – not the other way around’. Heinz Josef Willemsen and Thomas Müller-Bonanni are also recommended.

Within Litigation, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a third tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has significant expertise in pharmaceuticals litigation, with a recent noteworthy case being advising a leading biotech and pharmaceuticals company against a generics competitor in parallel proceedings in Germany and the Netherlands. The team regularly acts for Novartis and Hexal. Technology is another area of expertise, and it was recently instructed to represent a technology manufacturer in ICC arbitration regarding patent infringements. Peter Chrocziel and Frank-Erich Hufnagel are recommended.

Within IP: trade marks , tier 4

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘thoroughly trustworthy and successful’ group enjoys an excellent reputation, particularly for trade mark and unfair competition law. Mars and REWE Group are key clients, while recent highlights include advising Worldwide Brands on a new licensing agreement regarding its Camel Active business. Matthias Koch has ‘really exceptional skills both legally and strategically’, and Andrea Lensing-Kramer is ‘fantastic’.

Within Information technology and outsourcing , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is excellent for transactional matters, particularly in the finance services sector, as well as on outsourcing, data protection and compliance. It advised Eurogate on outsourcing its IT operations; KfW on procurement of application and IT services; and SEB on IT and business process outsourcing contracts, data migration and data protection. Norbert Nolte is ‘innovative’ and always remains ‘very calm and composed’. Klaus Beucher leads the IP/IT practice group.

Within Restructuring, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is ‘incredibly well positioned in the market’ with partners who deliver ‘very diligent work’ and ‘pragmatic advice’. The team capitalises on the firm’s thriving banking and finance practices by delivering innovative solutions to unprecedented cases such as advising the mezzanine creditors regarding the financial restructuring and acquisition of PrimaCom via a debt-for-equity swap. The group also advised Nicolas Berggruen on the acquisition of insolvent Karstadt Warenhaus, and Carl Zeiss Vision Group’s senior steering commitee on debt restructuring matters. Lars Westpfahl is ‘an outstanding expert’ who produces ‘creative ideas’.

Within Investment funds , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s team is ‘extremely responsive’ and ‘very commercial’. It has capitalised on its strong financial services regulatory expertise in recently advising various clients on the change in legislation regarding UCITS IV. Its top-notch client roster includes UBS, Citigroup, Oppenheim Pramerica Asset Management, BlackRock, Credit Suisse Asset Management, RREEF Investment, SEB Investment, ABN AMRO and Deutsche Bank. Thomas Emde is recommended.

Within Media: Entertainment, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ‘always provides state-of-the-art advice’, say clients, and fields ‘committed, high-quality’ partners. Key areas of practice include advising media companies on regulatory advice and cross-border transactions, but the team has seen an increase in instructions to advise clients on the sale and distribution of electronic content. The group recently advised Ringier on the formation of a joint venture with Axel Springer, and acted for RTL Group during attempts to acquire certain TV and publishing assets from Dogan of Turkey. Klaus Beucher heads the practice.

Within Private equity , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s ‘very broad practice’ has been extremely busy, advising on the successful execution of two of the largest PE IPO exits in 2011. It advised Bridgepoint on its acquisition of CABB from AXA Private Equity and acted for Triton as part of its acquisition of Evonik´s carbon black business in partnership with Rhône Capital. Ludwig Leyendecker is the worldwide practice head, who leads a large team of well-established partners and emerging younger lawyers.

Within Public sector , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is among the frontrunners in terms of knowledge of new legal developments and market trends, and is increasingly advising on regulatory matters, notably in the healthcare sector. Restructuring of public banks is an area of expertise in which the team is advising several banks on capital instruments to meet the new capital requirements. The group is advising E.ON, RWE, EnBW and Vattenfall on the government’s nuclear power plant policy, and representing KfW in a public procurement procedure. Wolf Spieth heads the group, which also includes the ‘particularly good’ Herbert Posser.

Within Real estate, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is ‘excellent’ in terms of depth of team, industry knowledge and commercialism, and remains remains one of the leading practices in the market despite Alexander Goepfert and Christoph Brenzinger joining Noerr. The firm has a clear focus on high-end work, and highlights included advising J.P. Morgan Asset Management (UK) on a joint venture with Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) to acquire the OpernTurm, and acted for CPP Investment Board on its purchase of 50% of the CentrO shopping centre. The well-regarded Friedrich Heilmann heads the practice, which also features Thorsten Kleine, who is ‘tireless at getting the job done’, and ‘tough sparring partner’ Johannes Conradi.

Within Structured finance and securitisation , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a second tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has attracted high-profile instructions such as advising Bayerische Landesbank on whether to claim damages against former supervisory board members regarding losses accrued via ABCP conduit programmes. The team continues to advise the German Financial Markets Stabilisation Fund on the transfer of loans and securities totalling €173bn from HRE to FMS Wertmanagement, and advised GMAC Bank on the securitisation of auto loan receivables. Christoph Gleske and Bernhard Kaiser are recommended.

Within Tax , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer’s comprehensive tax practice is ‘in a class of its own’ and ‘very agreeable to work with’, according to clients. It has seen ongoing demand in restructuring work and has also been busy with transactional support, frequently in a private equity context. It advised Albert Ballin Konsortium on several restructuring and refinancing transactions, Profine on its financial restructuring and Berggruen on the successful acquisition and subsequent reorganisations of Karstadt. The practice has significant expertise advising banks and other financial services clients, often on cross-border matters. Christian Ruoff leads the practice.

Within Telecoms , Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP is a first tier firm,

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer enjoys ‘an exceptionally strong market position’, and features ‘two outstanding individuals’ in Thomas Tschentscher and Norbert Nolte, who handle ‘extremely prominent transactions’. This broad-based practice excels at contractual work, transactions and regulatory advice. Highlights included advising Deutsche Telekom on its €400m purchase of an additional 10% stake in Hellenic Telecom, Liberty Global on its €3.16bn acquisition of Kabel Baden-Württemberg, and Telefónica regarding the recall of UMTS licences and attendant refunds totalling €8.5bn.